


The Kooks

by PhantomSoRandom



Category: Original Work
Genre: Boy x boy, Boys In Love, Falling In Love, Gay, LGBT, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-09-26 08:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9878015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomSoRandom/pseuds/PhantomSoRandom
Summary: Abel is content with life. He has a job that he loves, a nice family, and a pet to keep him company. But what happens when his high school crush gets hired at the library that he works at?





	1. Chapter 1

**Carson**

 

I think one of the worst feelings in my life is feeling oh so lonely and yet I lived with two other guys and my cousin, Trevor. To others who know me, it may seem like I’m an ungrateful piece of shit because I was the most popular guy in every school I went to, not to brag. But that’s not what my story is about. This is about how I got the best piece of my life. Someone so dear to me that it’s almost _painful_.

 

**Abel**

 

It rained the morning I went back to work after the weekend. I didn’t mind the rain, nor did I mind Mondays, unlike most people. There were a lot of things I could tolerate that others can’t for some odd reason. I guess I was just born this way?

 

I grabbed my dark grey coat off of the hanger and slipped my arms through the sleeves, feeling warmed up already. I tied the laces to my boots and walked out with my umbrella. I smelled the fresh, rainy air and started walking to the bus stop that was fortunately close to my apartment. I stood under my umbrella looking at the people passing by and smiled to myself, excited to go to work.

 

After getting on the bus, I took a seat by the window and watched the passing scenery through the droplets of the rain. I tapped my feet on the floor, trying to unfreeze my toes. When I got to work, I said thank you to the bus driver, as always. She returned a smile and a nod.

 

I walked into the library and said hello to Penelope at the desk. Her green eyes lit up and she brushed back her bleached blonde hair.

“Hey, Abel,” she grinned. “Lovely weather we’re having, am I right?”

“Yes,” I laughed a little.

“We’ve got a guy here for an interview.”

“A guy?” I cocked my head sideways in question. Ever since Mrs. Woodward put up that Help Wanted sign, we’ve been having ladies come in nonstop, but for once, we had a guy come in.

 

“Yep, a guy,” she then smirked slyly. “Don’t get your boxers in a bunch.” I knew exactly what she was talking about. Penelope was the only one that knew I was gay, so she likes to lowkey make harmless jokes about it.

“Oh come on,” I smiled nervously, wondering if she actually saw my excitement and interest. I needed to get my head out of the clouds. I had to work. “I’m gonna start organizing now. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Later, tater,” she said her signature quote.

 

I went to the back and grabbed a stack of books that needed to be put away. I started off with the history section, inhaling the scent  of vanilla and almonds that came from the books. Boy, do I love working at a library. I get to read, help people find a book they want or need, and sometimes I get to read to the little kids in the children’s section at the back whenever Rose is unable to.

 

I smiled to myself thinking about how I first started working here. I was interviewed, and they listened very attentively to me, which I really enjoyed. I never broke eye contact and gave my best smile that I could. Before I knew it, they gave me the job right after I was interviewed. They said I was sweet and honest, and that they needed more friendly people like me to help.

 

I picked up the small stack of books and walked to the mystery section to put them back where they belong, and on my way there, I saw that Mrs. Woodward was interviewing the guy that we talked about earlier. It took me a second to realize who that was. It was Carson Jones, my high school crush. I dropped the books in shock gaining attention from the two from across the room, and I immediately picked them up. I glanced up at Carson, who seemed unfazed.

 

_Does he not remember me,_ I thought. I walked to my original destination watching Carson carefully. I looked away a few times so it wouldn’t seem like I’m staring at him. I crouched down in front of the bookshelf, separating books so I could get a little peep at him. His hair changed. Instead of long and luscious, his sides were shaved and the top was copper brown instead of blonde. His eyes were a light coffee color, and his jawline was sharp. He still had that charming smile, though.

 

Suddenly, Mrs. Woodward and Carson both looked my way. I felt my face turn red, so I hurriedly tried to play it off like I was organizing the books. Without looking up, I heard footsteps come my way. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

 

“Abel,” Mrs. Woodward said my name carefully. “This is Carson Jones. He’s going to be working here starting tomorrow, and I would like you to give him an orientation.”

_I know exactly who Carson Jones is, Mrs. Woodward,_ I wanted to say, but instead, I got up and said, “Hello. I’m Abel Grayson.”

 

“Carson. Carson Jones,” his voice was husky and a little rough, but I loved it. We shook hands firmly, and man, did he have a grip!

“I’ll leave the rest to you, then,” Mrs. Woodward smiled before walking off.

“This is pretty awkward, huh?” I laughed a little, scratching the back of my neck.

“Oh?” Carson quirked a brow. “How so?”

 

“We went to highschool together,” I told him. He only stared at me blankly. “You...broke my nose junior year in gym class?”

“I did?” His eyes widened. “Oh, god, I’m so sorry. I don’t remember that at all!”

Was he sorry that he didn’t remember, or sorry that it happened in the first place?

“Don’t worry about it,” I smiled. “I guess I should show you around then?”  
“Yeah,” he blushed. “Sounds good.”

 

**Carson**

 

There I stood before the guy whose nose I broke but don’t even remember. But man, was he cute. Abel Grayson. His voice was soft and smooth and he was pretty short for a guy. He had chocolate colored hair with bright sky blue eyes and freckles that spotted his cheeks, nose, and down his neck. Like I mentioned before, one of the worst feelings in my life was that I felt so lonely, and that was probably because no one knew that I was secretly bi. I’ve went my whole life hiding my sexuality, and I’d say I’d done a pretty good job at it.

 

“Follow me,” Abel said, snapping me from my thoughts. I blinked several times, following him to the back of the library where there were piles of books just sitting there. “This is where all the returned books are.” He told me. “And it’s our job to return them back into their sections.”  
“How do we know which section they belong in?” I asked, staring at the back of his freckle spotted neck.

“There’s stickers on the spine that tell you what genre each book is,” he informed me, turning his head around making me look at the floor as though I wasn’t just staring at him.

 

After the orientation, Abel walked me to the front to introduce me to one of the librarians at the desk.

“Hi,” she smiled widely. She seemed like a bubbly person. “I’m Penelope Dixon.”

“Carson Jones,” I shook her hand.

“Wow,” her grass green eyes widened. “Firm grip.”

“Thank you?” I said in a question.

 

“I’ll just walk you to the door,” Abel suddenly blurted. I nodded my head and followed him to the exit. I pulled my black bini out of my messenger bag and slipped it onto my head.

“I don’t know how I don’t remember you from high school,” I told him. “You’re really attractive.”

His jaw dropped as he blushed, and I thought, _wow, he’s so fucking adorable_.

 

“I-I’ll see you at work tomorrow then, Carson,” he said, and the way he spoke my name was magnificent.

“Yeah. See you,” I waved before heading off across the street.

And that was the start of something I would have never expected.


	2. Chapter 2

**Abel**

 

Back in school, I used to be called names like “short stack” or “gay boy” because of my short stature and sexuality. It wasn’t until middle school when people started calling me a fag because one of my friends basically pushed me out of the closet in front of the school. I won’t go into that, though. That’s a whole nother story.

 

In high school, I never let anyone know that I was gay. The only people that knew were the few that went to the same middle school as me. They would whisper things when I would walk past them like “Isn’t he, you know, gay?” and “I doubt any guy is going to go out with him”. I was also called names like wimpy and things similar to that. They never bothered me though. No, I just pushed through it with a smile on my face. I even made a joke when a guy asked me if I’m  _ really  _ gay. I responded with, “Why, are you interested?” 

 

I didn’t want my family to know I was being bullied, but the principal told my mother anyways who then made me switch schools my junior year of high school. That’s when I fell in love at first sight with Carson Jones. I fell in love with his looks. I really liked his personality though. He wasn’t one of  _ those  _ popular guys that bullied every kid other than his jock friends, but he was super nice to everyone and handsome at that, so it’s no wonder why he was so popular. 

 

But still, I was surprised he didn’t remember breaking my nose during gym class. We were playing softball, which he was really well known for in school, and threw the ball at my face so hard it broke my nose. He was even one of the many people that walked me to the nurse’s office, but he was the only one that actually stayed to make sure I was alright until my mom came and took me to the hospital. Carson apologized continuously that day.

 

I had dreamed about old high school memories triggered by seeing Carson for the first time ever since graduation, which was three years ago. I woke up feeling odd and disoriented, but I somehow managed to bring myself back into today’s day and age. I looked at the time.

“Oh, no,” I realized that if I didn’t hurry, I would definitely miss the bus. It wasn’t raining, but it was a little chilly out. I hurried outside leaving my boots untied, and the bus was right outside waiting for me.

 

I rushed so fast up the two steps that I almost slipped. I had a mini heart attack at that moment. 

“Careful, there,” the bus driver told me.

“Thank you for waiting,” I said with a small smile.

“It’s my job,” she shrugged.

I fixed my the strap of my messenger bag on my shoulder and walked to my seat. 

 

When I got to work, I clocked in and grabbed my lanyard off of the small hook. I said good morning to Penelope, and went to the back where I saw Carson already grabbing a stack of books. When he heard my footsteps, he looked my way.

“Morning,” he simply said. He looked tired.

“Good morning,” I nodded my head and grabbed the pile of books next to his. “Are you ready?”

“Ready, ready,” he grinned sleepily. It looked really attractive.

 

We both went our separate ways in the library. I went to the romance section as he made his way to the fantasy section.  _ I need to focus on work, _ I thought to myself. I let out a long sigh and put the books where they belong. I needed to use my five senses to bring myself back down to reality. I felt the spines of the books I had organized, smelled the fresh scent of the new pages in new books, looked at the last names of the authors, hear the silent tapping of the college student’s laptop, and taste the mint of the gum that I had chewed earlier.

 

I went back to grab another pile of books. I picked it up and turned around, but right when I did so, I bumped into Carson and ended up dropping all of the books. He only caught one and the rest were on the floor.

“Oh, gosh,” I mentally smacked  myself in the face. “I’m so sorry.”   
“Don’t worry about it,” he helped me pick them up and handed them to me.

“Thank you,” I avoided eye contact with him. 

 

“Hey, Abel?” He spoke my name, and it gave me goosebumps. You know, the kind of goosebumps you get when you hear a really good song? It was like that. “Do you wanna go out for coffee after work today?”

I panicked and said, “You betcha!”   

Carson seemed a little taken aback at first, then suddenly grinned widely. “Great.”

I felt myself blush and looked down, hoping he wouldn’t see. “I’m looking forward to it,” I said.

 

**Carson**

 

You betcha, he said. I had to admit, I was expecting a “sure” or “yeah”, so I was a little thrown off, but I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of my mouth. I wasn’t really nervous. Nervous was never exactly my thing. Even in school when we had to give presentations, I enjoyed public speaking, so coffee with Abel? No biggie. I needed to pay him back for breaking his nose, even though I don’t remember at all. I never thought I would forget something so important. 

 

After work was over, Abel and I clocked out and hung our lanyards on the little hooks. We both said our goodbyes to Penelope who looked at me dreamily, which I was used to, not to sound cocky or anything. Honestly, I was really flattered.

“Where did you plan on going?” Abel asked.

“I was thinking Charlie’s Cafe. It isn’t that far from here, so we can walk,” I put my bini on as we walked out the exit.

“I’ve never been there before,” he said softly looking down at the floor.

 

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m taking you there, right?” I nudged him with my elbow, making his crystal blue eyes look my way. 

“Yeah, definitely,” Abel smiled kindly. It was a bright smile. I really liked it. 

“So,” I tried keeping the conversation going. “You really went to Eastwood, huh? Did we ever have any classes together? You know, other than gym?”

“No,” he shook his head. “At least, I don’t think so.”

“Ah,” I raised my brows.

 

Throughout the whole walk to Charlie’s Cafe, we both stayed quiet. There wasn’t much to talk about. The only thing we had in common was that we both worked at the library, and we both went to the same high school. It was a good thing the cafe wasn’t that far from work. I opened the door, and he thanked me with a shy smile. I went in after him and walked to the counter where a sign that said “Order Here” had hung.

 

“Let me get a medium sized iced coffee with milk,” I said, “and a chocolate chip cookie.” I then stepped aside to let Abel order.

“I-I’ll have a small caramel frappuccino,” he stuttered.

The woman gave us a price, and I paid for it. I felt Abel staring at the back of my head.

 

We walked to an empty and clean table and sat down across from each other. The chairs squeaked as we pulled them out.

“Thank you,” Abel said, pulling on his sleeves. 

“No problem,” I put my elbow on the table and rested my chin on my hand, watching him carefully.

 

**Abel**

 

I looked down at my fingers as Carson gazed at me. I had wondered what he was thinking. I was too nervous to even come up with some idea of what in the world he was thinking. Just then, a woman came and gave us our drinks, repeating what we ordered and setting down the cups in front of us, and then gave Carson his cookie. It was pretty big.

“Thank you,” I smiled at her, and her cheeks turned red. 

 

After she left, Carson chuckled. It was a sweet and low chuckle. It made my heart light on fire. 

“What is it?” I asked, tilting my head.

“She must think you’re cute.”

“You think so?”

But I felt bad. As I grew up, I knew I got more “attractive” to the girls because I have a pretty face, but I felt guilty because I’m gay, as I had said before.

 

Carson took a sip of his iced coffee and then took a small nibble of his cookie. You’d think a jock would inhale it, but Carson took his time. 

“So I was wondering if you would like to come to a Halloween costume party with me?” He questioned.

“A party?” I looked away at the corner of my eye, mentally counting the little squares on the floor. I tend to do that when I’m anxious. 

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “I thought you would like to see some people from Eastwood, and hey, maybe someone will remember you this time.” He laughed a little until it died off. “That was a terrible joke, wasn’t it?”

 

“Yes, just a bit,” I chuckled. Carson was a pretty funny guy, in every sense. It was strange how such a nice person could be so popular. It was probably because he was so talented with baseball, and he had good looks. Carson gaped at me.

“You’ve got a nice laugh,” he commented. 

“Oh, that was just a giggle,” I said sheepishly.

 

He took a gulp of his drink. “So back to the party,” he spoke, “will you come with me? I got a plus one invite.”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I don’t think I’d look good in a costume.”

“You’d look good in anything,” Carson stated matter-of-factly, and my face grew hot. Was he flirting with me? No. There’s no way. I mean, this is Carson Jones we’re talking about. Was he even gay? Probably not. I used to see him kissing his girlfriend in the halls. I bet he was just being nice. Yeah.

 

I seriously thought about going to the party. I don’t really go places other than work, and even on my days off I go to the library and read a good book. At home, I would write poetry or paint scenery which doesn’t require me to go outside. I had to step out of my comfort zone, but I don’t even have a costume. At least, I don’t think I do. I’d have to check.

“I’ll think about it,” I told him.

 

“Well, it’s later on tonight,” Carson said. “I’ll give you my number, so let me know if you want to go and I’ll send you the address.”   
“Sounds good,” I said.

“Great,” he smiled so wide I could see his dimple on the right side of his cheek. 

After finishing our drinks and after I put his number in my phone, we both left the cafe and went our separate ways. I, Abel Grayson, had Carson Jones’ number.


	3. Chapter 3

**Carson**

 

Abel ended up texting me and telling me he was going to come to the Halloween costume party, so I sent him the address. I grinned to myself as I did so, and didn’t realize that I even  _ was _ grinning in the first place until I put my phone down. I guess I was really just looking forward to having a friend come with me.

 

I took a shower and got dressed in my costume. I decided to be a butler this year. Yes, I have different costumes for every year. I like to be creative. Last year, I was Superman, and I guess I really pulled it off because everyone voted my costume the best. That was when I was going to college. Well, I still go to college, it’s just not on campus. Now, I do everything on my laptop.

 

I sent a message to Abel saying, “Text me when you get to the party and I’ll find you”. It wasn’t a minute later when he responded with an “OK”. I then got in my car and drove off to the party. On my way there, I played Hurry Back Tonight by Lydia (you should listen to it) and hummed while tapping my fingers on the steering wheel. I had wondered what Abel was going to wear?

 

When I got to the party, I parked across the street and grabbed my phone from the passenger’s seat before closing the door and locking my car. I walked towards to house, hearing music get louder with each few steps that I took. The door was already open, so I welcomed myself in. When people saw me, they yelled, “Heyyy!” with their arms in the air. 

“Carson’s here!” Abigail shouted.

“Hey,” I waved at her. “Where’s the host?”

“Outside in the pool,” she nudged her thumb towards the back. I thanked her and headed to the backyard.

 

Sure enough, there he was. Dustin Conrad, the one who threw the party, and Luke Brown were having a fight in the pool. It was a playful one, so I laughed. 

“Dustin,” I called his name. 

“Carson!” He wiped his face with his hand, and then started getting out of the water. “How’s it hangin’, man?”

“Going pretty great,” I grinned. “Got a new job.”

“Really? That’s great, dude,” he then looked me up and down. “Who are you trying to impress?”

“No one,” I laughed.

 

“Whatever,” Dustin cackled. “Did you bring a plus one?” He asked. I nodded my head in response, and at that moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that I got a message from Abel saying that he was here.

“Speak of the devil,” I said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

“Alright,” he grabbed a towel and walked back inside the house with me. 

 

Right when we walked in, Dustin slipped on the tile and fell on his back with a grunt in pain. I laughed and held out a hand to help him up. He took it, and right when I pulled him halfway up, I saw Abel from the corner of my eye wearing an unforgivably tight Spiderman costume without the mask, and I let go of Dustin’s hand, letting him fall back down.

“Um, ouch?!” He said angrily.

“Sorry, man,” I helped him back up. “Are you alright?”

 

Just then, Abel caught sight of me and waved his hand awkwardly. I waved back. Dustin seemed confused.

“Who’s that?” He asked.

“My plus one.”

“ _ Your _ plus one? No offense, dude, but I thought you’d bring a hot chick.”   
“You’re telling me,” Luke said walking in behind us.

“Be nice to him, please?” I pleaded, quirking a brow. 

 

Abel started walking toward us with a small and shy smile on his face. I couldn’t help but stare at how fitting the costume was on him. 

“Hey,” I smiled at him.

“Hello,” he breathed out.

“Abel, these are my friends, Dustin and Luke,” I stepped aside for them to shake hands. “Guys, this is my co-worker, Abel.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Abel said kindly in that soft spoken voice of his. I knew what they were going to say. I was just waiting for it.

“Nice to meet you too, Abel,” Dustin said.

“Pleasure,” said Luke.

I raised my brows in surprise.

“What is it?” Abel asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” I told him. 

Honestly, I was expecting them to comment on how small he is, but they didn’t to my relief. 

 

“You’re too stiff, man,” Dustin slapped his back, making him jolt. “You definitely need a drink.”

“Oh, no, I really shouldn’t,” Abel laughed nervously. “I’m kind of a lightweight.”

“Even better!” Luke exclaimed, and they both dragged him away from me. I watched as they left, but boy did his butt look good in those tights.

 

I didn’t end up seeing Abel again for most of that night. I was too busy being pulled aside by people asking me why I didn’t go back to campus. I just told them that it was too stressful, and it honestly was. Another person pulled me aside. It was Ebony.

“You do know where your friend is, right?” She asked, seeming a little worried.

“No, why?” 

“The guy’s throwing up in the bathroom right now. He’s totally wasted.”

“Which bathroom?” I asked quickly, almost too quickly. 

“Upstairs.”

 

I hurried up the staircase and went down the hall into the bathroom to find Abel on his knees by the toilet. I let out a deep sigh and walked in then flushed the toilet, hoping the smell would go away.

“You okay?” I asked, rubbing his back.

Abel nodded, and then threw up one more time. I pulled out my phone and texted Dustin asking for a glass of water in the upstairs bathroom. I shoved it back in my pocket.

 

Abel lifted his head from the toilet seat and looked at me with a shine in his eyes as he wiped his mouth.

“This is so embarrassing,” he slurred. “Here I am, throwing up in front of my high school crush.”   
High school crush?

“What are you talking about?” I was honestly confused.

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” he furrowed his brows together. “I used to like you so much but you didn’t even remember me, you jerk face.”

 

All of the sudden, he started to cry. “No one ever noticed me,” he sobbed. “No one! Either I was bullied or went unnoticed! Even the guy that broke my nose doesn’t even remember me.”

“Abel, I’m taking you home,” I told him helping him stand on his feet, but he had trouble doing that properly, so I told him to get on my back. At least he could somehow manage to do  _ that _ . 

 

I started to carry him out of the bathroom and met Dustin halfway through the hall who had a cup of water in hand.

“I’m gonna get this guy home,” I told him.

“So I got this for nothing?”

“Drink it yourself.”

“...alright.”

 

I somehow got us down the stairs and outside to the car. I did a little jump to keep him from falling, and he reeked of alcohol and vomit. He still cried, but when I got him into the backseat, he knocked out so quickly it worried me. I had thought that he died for a second before checking his pulse. He was fine. 

 

I got in the driver’s seat and turned on the car. I slammed my forehead on the steering wheel, feeling my face flush. Did he really mean what he said about me being his high school crush? I didn’t even know that he was gay. It’s not like I can judge. I mean, I like guys, too. I shook the thought from my mind and drove off to my house.

 

Lucky for me, my roommates were on winter vacation, so they all went out of town to visit their families for their entire break. I fumbled through my pocket to find my house key and unlocked the front door. I walked inside, Abel still on my back and walked in. I carried him to my room and dropped him on my bed.

 

My back was aching afterwards, so I took a long stretch and let out a long grunt in satisfaction. I rubbed the back of my neck, watching him sleep peacefully. He lightly snored with his mouth hanging only slightly opened. I smiled. He looked so cute.

 

I then repositioned him so that his head was on the pillows and a blanket covered him completely so that he wasn’t cold. I examined his sleeping state for a while, but then started to feel pretty creepy, so I went into the living room to sleep on the couch. I stared up at the ceiling until I fell asleep.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Abel**

 

I slowly opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar room. I almost panicked, but told myself to calm down. I slowly sat up, feeling everything hurting. My head, my body. I wanted to vomit, but nothing would come up. I was hungover. It took me a second to realize it, because I had tried to remember what I had to drink last night at the party. I haven’t drank like that in a long time. The last time I did, it was when Penelope had confessed her feelings towards me, but I had to turn her down because of my sexuality. That night, I drank to forget it all. Of course, it didn’t work.

 

I looked around the room to see nothing but a few posters of bands and a calendar of The Walking Dead next to the nightstand. It was slightly dark in the room, but light enough to know that it was now day time. Suddenly, the door knob started turning, and the door opened to reveal Carson in a T-shirt and jeans with a tray in his hand. The tray had a plate with eggs and bacon and a glass of orange juice on the side. I thought I had died and went to heaven.

“Good,” he exhaled. “You’re awake.”

 

I blinked a few times and looked down to see that I was still wearing my Spiderman costume, thank goodness.

“What happened last night?” My voice came out hoarse. I cleared my throat.

“You don’t wanna know,” Carson told me setting the tray down on the nightstand and sitting on the side of the bed. “You really don’t remember?” He asked, seeming a little hurt and confused at the same time.

“No? I don’t,” I told him honestly. “Can you tell me what happened?”

 

Carson looked away from me, pursing his lips together. It worried me. I know how I get when I’m drunk. I get emotional. What in the world did I say?

“It was nothing,” he waved it off. “You just happened to tell me about your high school crush.”

I wanted to crawl into a dark hole and die at that very moment. I hid my face in my hands and let out a moan in distress.

 

I could hear Carson laugh. He told me not to worry about it, and that he thought it was actually kind of cute. It didn’t help my blush at all.

“It wasn’t cute,” I looked up at him. “It was creepy.”

“It’s okay, Abel,” he chuckled sweetly. “Just eat and have something to drink, alright? I’ll bring you something for your headache. I know you’ve got one from all that drinking last night.”

 

Carson Jones, the hottest guy I know, saw me in my worst state last night. It was a nightmare come true. When he left the room, I smacked my palm on my forehead, wondering what else I had said. I looked at the tray that he had brought in, and picked up the plate of eggs and bacon. It smelled good, so I picked up the fork and took a bite of the eggs. It was perfect. Not only was he kind and hot, but he could cook, too. I wanted to marry this guy.

 

As I was munching on the bacon, Carson came back in with a pill in his hand. I swallowed what I had in my mouth and looked up at his light brown eyes.

“Here you are,” he sat back down in the spot he was in last time, handing me the pill.

“Thanks,” I put it in my mouth and swallowed it down with some orange juice. The coldness of the drink made me shiver a little.

“Are you cold?” He asked like a mother would.

I nodded. “Only a little.”

 

Carson then got up and opened up the blinds, letting the sun in, but only a little shone into the room for the clouds were shrouding the source of warmth.

“That’s not going to help much, is it?” He had his hands on his hips, looking out the window.

Suddenly, I remembered about work. “What time is it?!”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s still pretty early. We’ve got an hour before work starts.”

I let out a sigh in relief. “Do you think you can take me home?”

“Do you hate it here that badly?”

 

“No, no! Not at all!” I flustered. “I really appreciate what you’ve done for me, and I owe you a lot for that.”

“Then take me out to lunch today,” Carson said softly. It gave me goosebumps, in a good way.

“O-Okay,” I stammered.

 

Carson ended up taking me home. This time, I was able to give him directions to my home properly. When we got to the apartment complex, he dropped me off in the front and people walking by stared at me in my Spiderman costume. Carson noticed how awkward I was about it, and told me not to worry about it. I walked up the steps to the door, feeling his eyes on me.

 

At work, I did the usual routine. Clocked in, put my lanyard on, gave my greetings to Penelope, and went to the back. I never get tired of doing this. Sure, I did it for a very long time, but I chose this job for a reason. Now, there was some conflict going on with my story. My old crush is now working with me, and not only that, but he bought me coffee, considers me attractive, invited me to a party, let me sleep in his bed, made me breakfast, and drove me home. Now, he wanted to have lunch with me today. Was I lucky, or what?

 

As I was putting books back on the shelves, I heard the doors open and a group of male voices arising. I also heard Penelope asking them to be quiet. They only laughed at her, and called her a bitch. That’s when I knew I had to do something. I walked over to the group of young men and stood before them.

“I’m sorry, but it’s either you must behave or I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” I told them, trying to make my voice sound stern.

 

“ _Really_ , now?” One of them pushed through his friends and looked down at me. I should probably say that everyone looks down at me. I’m pretty short for a guy, and even Penelope is a little taller than me.

“Yes,” I said, swallowing hard. He then slapped his palm on my forehead and shoved my head back.

 

“Excuse me,” a familiar voice came up from behind me. I turned around to see Carson walking towards us with a stoic expression. “Is there a problem?”

“What the hell, Carson?” He quirked a brow. “What are you doing? Don’t tell me you work here?”

“Yeah, and?”

“Whatever, you fucking nerd,” he laughed, but I could tell it was nervous laughter. And with that, they all left.

 

“Are you alright?” Carson asked me, seeming genuinely concerned about me. It made my heart throb.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I assured him.

“Good,” he scratched the back of his neck. “So are we still up for lunch today?”

“Definitely!” I unintentionally raised my voice.

“Awesome,” he laughed.

I could feel Penelope watching us. It made me blush.

 

Soon enough, our lunch break came. We went to a nearby family restaurant to eat, and got a table by a window. As we were waiting for our drinks, Carson looked out at the grey clouds that blocked the sun only slightly. Some of the rays shone through, I noticed. I decided to ask what has been on my mind for a while.

 

“Those guys earlier,” I began, “they seemed to know you. Are they friends from Eastwood?”

“No,” he seemed a little surprised that I started talking. “I used to go to college with them. I actually got in a fight with the one that hurt you.”

“Oh, he didn’t hurt me!” I had to explain so he wouldn’t worry. “Really, it was nothing.”  
“Still, I’m surprised. Weren’t you scared?”   
“I’ve had to face worse,” I told him honestly. I really did have to face worse. Not too long ago, this college student was putting his gum in one of the books, and when I asked him not to, he threw the book at my face.

 

Our hot chocolate came, and it was topped with whipped cream. It made me smile. Hot chocolate and whipped cream always made me feel nostalgic. Calling back on my childhood, I felt something cold touch my nose, and looked up at Carson to see him cackling. I looked at my nose to see white stuff on it, and it took me a split second to realize it was whipped cream.

 

“Hey,” I pouted. I then dipped my finger in my whipped cream and smeared it on his cheek.

“Touche, Abel,” Carson smirked. We both picked up our napkins and wiped the cream off of our faces laughing at one another. It was a sweet laughter. I haven’t felt this way in a long time.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Carson**

 

Abel and I had a pleasant lunch together. When we went back to work, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling, remembering the way he looked with the whipped cream on his nose. I know I’ve said this before, but man, did he look adorable. Abel just makes me want to pinch his cheeks. He made me feel like an old lady.

 

After work was over, I decided to stay behind and look for a book for my English class. It had to be a non-fiction book. When I finally found one, I took it to the front desk where Penelope was at. 

“Hey there,” she beamed, and then looked at the book. “Slavery, huh?”

“Isn’t it against the rules to question what a customer is reading?” I quirked a brow, smiling.

“Yeah, well, you aren’t a customer, my friend,” she checked out the book for me and stamped a date.

 

“So, Penelope,” I cleared my throat. “Does Abel ever talk about me?” What in the world was I saying? Why am I asking her this?

“What?” She seemed sincerely surprised at my question as she handed me the book.

“Does Abel ever talk about me?” I repeated.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” She grinned slyly.

“Come on,” I pleaded. “Curiosity killed the cat!”

“Tell me why you want to know and I just might tell you.”

 

I had to think about that. Why do I want to know if Abel talks about me? I mean, he is cute and all, but for Pete’s sake, I’m acting like a lovestruck teenager. 

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, and I honestly didn’t.

“Then I don’t either,” Penelope smiled.

“Thanks anyway,” I said. “See you tomorrow.”

I got in my car and sat in the driver’s seat, just sitting there for a while. I tried to get rid of Abel’s face from my mind. I tried hard and failed.

 

**Abel**

 

Time has passed since Carson Jones was hired at my job at the library, and everyday we would go to lunch together during our break. Each time became something so casual, I was no longer nervous around him. In fact, it was a comforting feeling being around him. I haven’t had a friend like this in awhile. 

 

It was Saturday, and I was writing a poem. An ode to be specific. It was an ode to myself. As I was writing down the lines that flowed through me like a river, I suddenly jumped at the touch of fur. I looked down to see my cat, Blue, rubbing herself against my leg. Her white fur was shedding on the hardwood floor. I scratched her head, giving her the attention that she craved. 

 

At that moment, my phone started ringing. I looked at it to see that it was a call from Carson. When I saw his name on the screen, I felt my heart come to life. I wanted to answer right away, but instead of doing that, I let it ring two more times, and then I picked up.

“H-Hello?” Shoot. I stuttered.

“Hey, Abel?” I heard his voice on the other line. “Which apartment is yours?”

“What? Why?” I opened my curtains and looked down to see the one only Carson standing under the street light with his phone to his ear. 

 

“I kind of got kicked out by my roommate,” he said slowly, “and I need a place to crash for the night.”

“Stay there,” I told him. “I’ll come and get you.” I hung up on him, not waiting for a response, and closed my curtains before rushing down stairs. I opened the front entrance and stuck my head out. “Carson?” I called.

“Hey,” he looked at me. “Can I come in?” 

“Yes, of course!” I walked over and grabbed his arm. “Come on, it’s freezing out here!”

 

When we got into my apartment, I made us both hot chocolate as Carson sat in the living room. I walked in with our mugs and handed him his. He took it with a smile and a hoarse “thanks.”

“So you got kicked out?” I questioned as I sat on the recliner. “If you don’t mind me asking, why?”

“My roommate brought a girl home, so the rest of us had to leave,” Carson explained before blowing into his hot chocolate and taking a sip.

 

“Oh,” was all I could say. Things are going too far for a dream. Not only was I good friends and co-workers with Carson, but he was also in my apartment at this very moment. I was waiting to wake up any moment now. 

“Sorry to intrude like this,” he apologized. 

“Oh, don’t apologize,” I smiled at him. “You’re welcome to stay for as long as you like.” Was that a creepy thing to say?

 

Carson chuckled, and did I love it when he did that. It was like music to my ears. It was soothing sound. It calmed my nerves, and it also made me realize that this wasn’t a dream. This right here...is the real deal.

“Thanks, Abel,” he took another gulp of his hot chocolate. I took a sip of mine, too. “Is there anywhere I can put my bag?” He asked, and I had just realized that he had a backpack with him. 

“You can just leave it in here by the couch if you’d like.”

“Thanks.”

 

Just then, we both heard a meow and Carson gasped. I looked down where his eyes were pointed and saw Blue rubbing herself against his leg. 

“I’m sorry,” I stood and picked her up. “Do you not like cats?”

“No way, man,” a smile grew on his face from ear to ear as he stood up as well. “I love cats!”

“Really?” I was surprised at how happy he was. “You want to hold her?”

“Is that okay?”   
“Sure.”

 

I handed Blue over to him and he held her like a baby. She rubbed her face on his chest, and at that moment, I was envious of my own cat. 

“She seems to really like you,” I said.

“You think so?” His face lit up even more, if possible. Blue then jumped out of his arms and walked off back into my room. Carson looked disappointed, and then sat back down. I sat down, too.

 

An awkward silence filled the room quickly. We took turns taking sips of our drinks, until Carson finally spoke up.

“I like your pajamas,” he said.

“What?” I looked down to see what I was wearing. My PJ’s usually consisted of sweats and a T-shirt, but this time, I happened to be wearing my lion pajama pants and a sweater to match. I felt embarrassed, but I responded with a shy smile and thanked him.

 

We then discussed where he would be sleeping. I suggested he sleeps on my bed, but he rejected my offer and insisted that he sleeps on the couch. We had this small argument for a minute or so before I had given in. He can be very persistent. 

 

After getting dressed in his pajamas, Carson walked out of the bathroom in sweats and a really tight white shirt. It made my heart race.

“I should have brought my tiger jammies so we could’ve matched,” he joked. 

“Do you really have some?” I asked, getting a little excited that I’m not the only one that has dorky pajamas.

“Uh, no,” he said, his voice filled with guilt. This made me laugh. “Hey, what’s so funny?” Carson quirked a brow in question. 

“Nothing,” I tried holding back my fits of laughter. It brought tears to my eyes.

 

“Crack it all up,” Carson breathed out, waving his hand. I wiped the tears away and looked up at him with a smile that couldn’t go away.

“So, what do you want to do now?” I asked him. 

“Aha!” His face lit up again. “I knew you would ask that, so I brought some movies.” He stated matter-of-factly, and then reached for his backpack.

 

He pulled out three movies: Annabelle, Sinister, and The Babadook. I looked at him. 

“Carson,” his name rolled off my tongue.

“Yeah?”

“These are all scary movies.”

“Yeah.”

And so, we spent that night watching Sinister.

 

We were on the couch with a blanket over us. It was the only one I had other than the one on my bed. We sat really close to one another. So close that I was scared he could hear my heart racing. I glanced at him, and all of the sudden he yelled and threw his arms up and elbowed me in the face, making my nose bleed. Blood dripped down from my nose and I immediately covered it up.

 

“Oh my god, Abel, are you okay?!” Carson’s voice was filled with worry as he gently touched my hands that covered my nose. 

“I’m fine,” I said, sniffing the blood back in.

“No, no, don’t do that!” He immediately got up. “Where’s your tissues?”

“There should be some on the fridge,” my voice sounded funny as told him where to find them.

 

In an instant, Carson left and came back with the tissue box. He pulled some out and put it on my nose.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized.

“It’s fine,” I laughed a little. “This is the second time this has happened. Funny, huh?”

Carson looked at me in disbelief. “You’re in shock.” 

“I’m okay.”   
“No, you’re not.”

 

Eventually, the bleeding stopped. We stopped the movie because it was too scary, and because Carson was afraid of hitting me again. Another time would be no fun. We ended up sitting on the couch hugging the blankets.

“So, uh,” he began. “I know I said that  _ you _ should sleep in your own bed, but do you think you can sleep out here with me?” Hearing him say that put a smile to my face.

“Of course.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Carson**

 

Abel ended up sleeping on the couch as I slept on the floor in a sleeping bag he happened to have. I admit, I don’t do well with scary movies. But believe me, I had a good reason to bring them. I wanted to see how Abel would react. Honestly, I wanted him to grab onto my arm in fear. But instead, I ended up elbowing him in the face and giving him a nosebleed. So much for a good plan.

 

I awoke to the sound of someone singing. It took me a while to fully wake up and realize that it was Abel, but the lyrics he was singing were unfamiliar. They were happy and bubbly lyrics. Hearing him enjoy himself made me smile. I silently got up and made my way to the kitchen where I saw him dancing in blue fuzzy socks. I nodded my head to his singing and came up from behind him and started dancing myself. 

 

When Abel heard me, he immediately shot his head around. He tried backing up, but he ended up slipping and almost falling until I grabbed him by his waist and pulled him towards me. Our bodies were tightly pressed against each other, making my face go hot. Abel’s, too. He put his hands on my chest and pushed away from me, making me feel a little disappointed, but the feelings of his small hands over my heart stayed and tingled.

 

“Did you see all of that?” Abel asked, embarrassed. I nodded my head in response, pursing my lips trying to hold back a smile that crept up on my face.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “It was cute.”

“C-Cute?” He stammered.

“Yeah,” I scratched at the back of my neck.

“Carson,” he spoke my name, “are you…?”

And before he could finish, his phone started ringing.

 

“I’ll go take that,” he said quickly before hurrying off to his room. I could hear the silence for a second, and then him saying, “hello?” This is my fault. I already complimented him more than I should have. And now, he’s starting to get suspicious. Either way, I’d have to tell him sooner or later. But that was  _ not  _ going to be today.

 

Abel was on the phone for a short while until he came back into the kitchen, phone in hand.

“Sorry about that,” he apologized.

“Don’t worry about it,” I gave him a false smile. Things got awkward quick.

“I guess I should continue making breakfast, then?”

“Yeah, sounds good. I’ll go clean up the mess in the living room.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that!” He threw his hands up to his chest. “You’re a guest! Let me do it.”

 

“Nope,” I folded my arms, not ready to give up. “You just focus on making us breakfast, and I’ll clean. Alright?” Honestly, talking like this made me feel like we’re a married couple. It was too cheesy for me.

“Fine,” he gave in easily. “If you’re going to do it, do it now.” He demanded. “My mom is coming over.”

  
  


I felt nervous. I didn’t know what to do. I paced back and forth in Abel’s living room, wondering what to do when she comes in. What do I call her?  What even is Abel’s last name? I asked him. Grayson. I knew that. Mrs. Grayson. I’ll just call her that. What if she wants me to call her by her first name? I should ask first, of course. I’ve never been this nervous in a while. I had almost forgotten what it feels like. 

 

**Abel**

 

Carson was obviously nervous. He walked around not knowing what to do with himself. It made me laugh.

“It’s not funny!” He whined.

“I’m sorry,” I chuckled, “but haven’t you met anyone’s parents before?”

“...yeah,” he said, seeming unsure.

“So why are you so afraid?”   
“Good question,” he nodded. 

 

Just then, there was a knock at the door. I walked over to get it, but Carson’s shout stopped me in my tracks.

“Wait!” He called. “I’m not dressed! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t notice,” I said honestly. I really didn’t notice. “Hurry and get dressed in the bathroom.” I shooed him away, hand on the door knob. 

 

After Carson rushed to the bathroom with his backpack, I opened the door, and there stood my mother. Her blue eyes lit up when she saw me.

“Hey,” she smiled calmly. 

“Mom,” I grinned. “Hey.” It’s been awhile since I last saw her. “Come on in.”

 

Right after she walked in and I closed the door behind her, another one opened. It was Carson. I hurried to where they were, and saw that mom was looking up at him in awe. 

“Hello,” he greeted her calmly and held out his hand. “I’m Carson Jones, Abel’s co-worker.”

“I’m Abel’s mother, Sarah,” she shook his large hand, still looking at him in disbelief. “You look awfully familiar.”

“Oh, he’s the one that stayed with me in the nurse’s office when my nose was broken in high school,” I interrupted.

 

“Oh, really?” She turned to look at me. “I would have thought I’ve seen him in a magazine. He looks like a model.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Carson blushed at her words. It made me smile seeing that kind of reaction from him. 

“Ma’am is so formal,” she waved her hand. “You’re making me feel old. Just call me Sarah.”   
“Okay,” he blinked. 

 

“So what brings you here, mom?” I asked, walking towards the two. She turned around and smiled wide at me, excitement in her eyes.

“I’ve got a girlfriend for you.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Abel**

 

“What?” Penelope seemed genuinely confused as her eyebrows knitted together “Didn’t you tell your mom that you’re gay yet?”   
“Not quite,” I admitted. It was after work when I told Penelope that my mom has found a girl for me that she wants me to go on a date with, which was scheduled for today. She was supposed to meet me here at the library when my shift ends.

“Why not? She’s the sweetest thing ever,” she said “She’ll understand.”

 

“Yeah, but…” I drifted off, trying to come up with some excuse as to why I won’t tell her instead of saying that I’m afraid. “She wants me to have kids.”

“Adoption,” she shrugged.

“You think she’ll be okay with that?” I quirked a brow in question. 

“Maybe.”   
“I don’t need a maybe, Penelope,” I groaned in distress.

 

At the corner of my eye, I saw a figure walk through the entrance, and there stood my date, looking around the library, searching for me with her eyes. She wore a coat dress with leggings underneath and had long and curly blonde hair. Her eyes were a light brown color, just like Carson’s. I walked over to her, and noticed that we were the same height. 

 

“Hello,” I greeted her with a smile. Up close, she looked really pretty and had a cute nose. “I’m Abel.”

“Hi,” she said shyly. “I’m Faith.” 

“Are you ready to go, or do you want to stay here for a bit?”

“I’d hate to keep you at your job.”

“Don’t worry about it. I actually come here during my free time,” I laughed. 

“Is that so?”

I made her smile.

 

We ended up planning our date before leaving. We were going to go to the mall, then a restaurant, and then to her place. I was a little nervous, but I knew that I would get over it once we start having some fun. After all, she seems like a nice girl.

 

**Carson**

 

Right when I walked up to the desk to say goodbye to Penelope, I saw Abel and the girl he was supposed to go on a date with leave the library. 

“Looks like you got some competition,” Penelope said.

“Don’t even joke like that,” I told her.

“Aha!” She pointed at me. “So you do like Abel!”   
“No?”

“Yes.”

 

I don’t know. I mean, I do think Abel is cute and all, but would I date him? I’m not sure. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that there’s anything wrong with him. It’s just that I don’t think he’d like me in that way ever again, especially after I told him I don’t remember him from Eastwood. If anything, he probably hates me for breaking his nose and is just being nice. 

 

On my way home, I drove past the family restaurant that Abel and I went to and saw him and his date through the window. What if Abel really does hit it off with her? What if she ends up coming to the library during our lunch break, and I’m unable to eat with him? It made my heart sting.

  
  


After parking the car in the driveway, I got out and slammed the door shut before locking it. I ran my fingers through my hair as I walked towards the door, and right when I was about to open it, it had already opened, and there stood my roommate Ben. 

“Wow,” he nonchalantly said. “You look like shit.”

“Gee, thanks,” I walked past him, hearing him say “what’s his problem?” I don’t have a problem.

 

I walked up stairs and went into my room, taking off my bini and tossing it onto my nightstand. I kicked off my shoes and fell back on my bed with a sigh. It really was a long day for me. I did more work than usual, probably to get things off my mind. My heavy eyelids closed, and I started to dream.

 

I was back at Abel’s house, and he wanted to take a shower, so I suggested that we take one together. Of course I was only joking in a flirty way, but he blushed and said “sure”. We went into the bathroom, and slowly, Abel started taking off his sweater, revealing his pale skin. I walked over to him and started to kiss his neck. I bit down on his sweet spot, and he moaned my name. I went down, trailing kisses down his chest and towards his groin. Then, I woke up.

 

I’m not going to say what happened after I woke up, but I ended up having to take a cold shower. I took a deep breath in, and then let it out. I needed to get my head together. Abel is on a date right now, and I should be fine with that. I should be fine with that.

 

The next day, I opened the door to the library, and right when I was about to walk in, I heard someone call my name. 

“Carson,” a female voice said. “Your name is Carson, right?” It was that girl he was on a date with.

“Yeah?” I spoke. “How’d you know my name?”   
“Abel talked about you a lot,” she explained. “I’m Faith.” She held out her small hand. Her nails were painted hot pink.

 

“I would introduce myself but it seems you already know who I am,” I took her hand and shook it gently. I was afraid I was going to hurt her. 

“Is Abel here?” She asked, getting to the point. 

“Yeah, he should be,” I nodded my head. “Want me to leave a message for you?”

“Oh, no,” Faith shook her head. “I’ll tell him myself, thank you.”

“Oh, alright,” I opened the door for her. “Go on ahead.”

“Thank you,” she smiled.

 

I walked in after her, and Penelope gave me a certain look when she caught sight of us. I shrugged and went to grab my lanyard off the hook. I grabbed my pile of books and went to my section, doing to usual routine. Except something felt different. It was a lonely feeling. Maybe because I’m so used to greeting Abel in the mornings, and this time I didn’t?

 

During lunch, Abel came and found me. I didn’t realize what time it was until he told me it was our break.

“Are you ready to go?” He asked in that sweet voice of his.

“Aren’t you going to eat with Faith?” I asked.

“No?” He tilted his head.

“Isn’t she your girlfriend though?”

“Oh, no,” Abel shook his head. “She actually came to tell me that she doesn’t want to date anymore.”

 

“What?” I was truly shocked. “Why?” Why would anyone turn down this doe-eyed cutie? It didn’t make sense to me.

“I don’t know,” he smiled nervously. “She just doesn’t want to, I suppose.”

“Well, yeah,” I put the last book on the shelf. “I’m ready to go.”

 

**Abel**

 

Yes, there was a reason as to why Faith didn’t want to date me anymore. She came and asked me if I was gay. I froze on the spot a little, but I had to tell her the truth, and told her that I was. She said she could tell because of the way I looked when I talked about Carson. It made me realize my feelings for him. 

 

It made me upset that I started liking him again, because I don’t have a chance with the most popular guy. Even though we’re not in high school, he’s still popular to me. I’m just that kid that no one noticed, so why would Carson go out with me? Why did it come to mind? A million things ran through my mind, and honestly, I was starting to get a headache. 

 

Before we left, Carson slipped on his fingerless gloves and I wrapped my scarf around my neck. It was below freezing today. We made our way to Charlie’s Cafe and ordered at the counter before sitting down. We both got the same thing. Espresso. We sat in the usual spot, waiting for our drinks. Meanwhile, I tapped my fingers on the table. 

 

“Your fingers are pretty short, huh?” Carson said, examining my hands. I looked up at him.

“No, your hands are just big,” I pouted. 

“No they’re not,” he put his elbow on the table, lifting his hand. “Put your hand on mine.”

“Fine,” I did as told and lifted my hand, putting it on his. The warmth of his glove made its way to my palm. As I thought, my hand is smaller than his.

“Your hand is so tiny!” He laughed. 

 

“My hands are normal sized!” I complained. I furrowed my brows and frowned, trying to make myself seem serious.   
“Abel, you’re so adorable,” he rested his chin in his glove covered palm, watching me with those light brown eyes that made me blush. 

“You’re not ugly looking, either,” I said, making him chuckle.

“Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

“Yes! So don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

 

Just then, our espressos came. The lady set them down in front of us, and I noticed that they had hearts in them.

“For the lovely couple,” she smiled.

“Oh, we’re not a-”   
“Thank you,” Carson cut me off. 

 

We blew into our white coffee cups and took sips of our drinks. All the while, I kept my eyes looking up at Carson, and when his glance met my stare, he flinched and let out an “ouch”. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Burned my tongue,” he brought his hand to his mouth. It made me laugh. “And why is that funny, Abel?”

“It’s just strange that the ever so popular Carson was so clumsy,” I held back my laughter.

“Well it wasn’t my fault with you staring at me like that,” he said sheepishly. Was Carson Jones embarrassed?

 

After work, Carson wanted to give me a ride home. I wasn’t going to be rude and reject his offer, so I got in the car with him.  As he was driving, his phone suddenly buzzed.

“Sorry, Abel,” he said pulling his phone out of his pocket and handing it to me, “but can you tell me what it says?” I took the phone and looked to see that the message read, “Come home quick. Asher is having another panic attack.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Abel**

 

After telling Carson what the message read, he hurriedly turned the car around and drove almost past the speed limit.

“We gotta make a quick stop,” he said, seeming worried and concerned. Throughout the whole car ride, I was hoping that his friend Asher was okay. I knew what it was like to have panic attacks. 

 

Before we knew it, we reached Carson’s house, and after we both jumped out of the car, he didn’t bother locking it up. He tried opening the door, but it was locked. He cursed under his breath as he fumbled through his pocket before pulling out the keys. Carson unlocked the door, walked in, and shouted, “where are you?!”

“Up here!” A male voice called back from upstairs. 

 

We both rushed up the steps so quickly that I almost tripped over my own feet and fell. Carson barged into the room where his friend Asher was sitting on his knees with his hands in his hair as he hyperventilated.

“What happened?” Carson asked.

“I don’t know, he just started freaking out again,” another man said.

 

Carson walked over to Asher and put a hand on his back. “Remember what I told you,” he said. “Breathe in and breathe out.”

“Breathe in slowly through your nose,” I told him, “and breathe out through your mouth.” They all looked at me. 

 

Doing as instructed, Asher soon enough calmed down. He was still slightly shaky, though. 

“Are you alright now?” I asked.

“Yeah, thanks,” he took a long breath with his eyes closed, and then looked up at me. “Who are you?”

“This is my friend, Abel,” Carson introduced me. 

 

“I’m Ben,” the shortest one of them all came up to me and shook my hand firmly. He was shorter than the rest, but he was still taller than me. Ben has dirty blonde hair and green eyes like Penelope. “Nice to meet you.” His voice was deep and calm. Then, Carson’s other roommate and cousin introduced himself. His name was Trevor, and he was just as tall as Carson. They both had the same light brown eyes, but Trevor’s hair was darker than his. Lastly, it was Asher. He had scruffy dark brown hair and dark eyes. They were all well built and taller than me, so I felt a little left out.

 

“So how did you know how to help me?” Asher questioned, looking at me with suspicion. 

“I used to get panic attacks often,” I shrugged with a shy smile. I felt Carson’s eyes on me. It made me slightly uncomfortable.

“Oh,” his eyes went downwards for a second until he looked at me with a charming smile. “Well, thanks.”

“No problem,” I scratched the back of my neck. “I should be getting home now.” I looked at Carson.

“Oh, right,” he said.

 

“What’s the rush, Pretty Boy?” Trevor walked over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. 

“I’ve got to feed my cat,” I smiled nervously. “I really should get going.”

“Carson loves cats,” Ben tried changing the subject so that I wouldn’t have to leave. “Why don’t we all go to Abel’s place?” 

“No,” Carson quickly said, almost too quickly. But I appreciated that he was being considerate of me.

 

All the boys groaned at the same time, giving into Carson’s demands of staying at home and keeping away from me. We both ended up in his car in an awkward silence as he drove to my apartment. 

“Thanks for helping out Asher,” he finally spoke up. 

“It’s no problem,” I waved it off.

“So you’ve had to deal with them before?” He asked, and I had a feeling that he would.

“Yeah,” I said uncomfortably. 

 

“What made you get them?” Carson questioned. I had to take a deep breath in and out before explaining to him. “You don’t have to tell me.”   
“No, it’s okay,” I beamed. “You’re my friend. You deserve to know.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” I looked down at my hands. “When I was twelve, my father died. My mom was handling it pretty bad. She started doing drugs and drinking, and I was sent from foster home to foster home until I finally got adopted by Sarah. Not only that, but I was being bullied during that time, too.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through with that,” Carson gripped the steering wheel. “I can’t really say I know how you feel, but I kind of knows what it feels like to hold in a secret.”

“You’ve got a secret?” I asked. 

“Yeah,” he swallowed hard. “I, uh, I’m bi.”

“What?” My eyes rounded in surprise. 

“You’re the only person I’ve ever really told,” he continued. “Not even my roommates or cousin knows. My parents don’t really know either.”

 

Should I tell him that I like him again? I mean, he didn’t take it badly when he found out I used to have a crush on him in high school. He understands what it feels like to like guys, so he should understand my feelings for him, right? Right now was a perfect time. A perfect time, yet I blew it. 

“I don’t see you any differently,” I shrugged. “I’m sure it took you a lot of courage to tell me that. Thank you.”

Carson stopped at the light and looked at me with something in his eyes that I couldn’t make out. It was kind of a soft look, but a determined one as well. It was almost as though he were going to kiss me. 

 

“Dude, are you okay?” He suddenly asked, snapping me from my thoughts. “You’ve been staring at me for a while and your face is red. You’re not sick, are you?”

“N-No,” I stuttered and immediately looked away from him. Was my face really that red? 

“Alright, then,” he said driving off when the light turned green.

  
  


**Carson**

 

It’s been about a week since I told Abel that I was bi, and I’m glad that he was the first I told. He took it really well, until he kept staring at me like he had something to say. It was stuck on my mind for quite a while, but Abel continued on like it was nothing. 

 

“You know something, don’t you?” Penelope said to Abel as all three of us were at the front counter before work started.

“What?” He went wide eyed, and then looked at me, asking for help.

“She already knows,” I rested my elbow on the counter with my chin on my palm. 

“You told him you’ve got the hots for him?” This time, it was Penelope’s turn to be shocked, and then it was mine. I could not believe she just said that out loud.

 

“No!” I raised my voice, and someone in the back went “shhh”. I let out a long sigh and ran my fingers through my hair in embarrassment. “I’m going to work.” I said before leaving towards the back to get my lanyard. As I was putting it on, I heard footsteps come up from behind me. I turned around to see Abel.

“Hey,” he said shyly. “Do you really like me? I mean, in that way?”

“No,” I quickly answered without thinking. 

“Oh,” he seemed disappointed. Why did he seem disappointed? 

 

We continued on with our work, and didn’t really talk to each other like we would if we ever passed by each other or came across a book we have in interest in. During lunch hour, Abel had asked me to wait for him while he finishes up his last load. I decided to wait by the front desk where I had a word with Penelope.

 

“It’s not my fault,” she argued. “When you said he knew, I thought he knew  _ everything _ . Why are you getting so bent out of shape about it? It’s not like you actually like him or anything.”

I stayed quiet. 

“Oh my god,” an excited smile grew on her face. She covered her mouth, and at that moment, Abel came out from the back. 

“Okay, I’m ready,” he said with a soft smile, and I immediately took ahold of his hand and walked out of the library.

 

I continued to hold his hand as we walked to the cafe, and I had never noticed how soft his hands are. He’s more feminine than I thought. I looked past my shoulder to see him blushing and staring down at our hands, but I didn’t dare let go. It felt too comfortable. A couple of girls walked by and said “oh my gosh” under their breaths with smiles on their faces. 

“Can you let go now, Carson?” Abel spoke up. “This is kind of embarrassing.” 

 

“Oh, sorry,” I slowly let go. “I didn’t mean to hold onto you for so long.” I chuckled nervously. 

“It’s okay,” Abel smiled. It made my heart flutter. When we finally got to the cafe, we ordered espressos. We sat down in a spot different from our usual because someone had taken our spot. The usual girl came with our drinks, and apologized that someone was in our spot. Abel said it was okay. 

 

As we took short sips of our espressos, we talked about how Abel was interviewed and how I was interviewed. As it turned out, neither of us were nervous. Abel was too excited to be working at the library, and his excitement is what got him the job. Just then, the bell on the door rang signaling that another customer had walked in.

“Carson?” A female voice called, and we both looked to see my ex-girlfriend.


	9. Chapter 9

**Abel**

 

Victoria, Carson’s ex-girlfriend, was standing there at the entrance with a bright, straight-toothed smile. It was always a contagious one, but I couldn’t smile when she walked in, and I especially couldn’t smile at how happy Carson was to see her.

 

“Tori!” He said her nickname and walked over to her to give her a hug. She smiled even wider if possible and hugged him back.

“It’s been, like, three years,” she chewed on her gum. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been great. Got a job, still getting my education,” Carson grinned from ear to ear.

“Yeah, I heard you’re taking online classes now?”

“Yep. Who told you that?”   
“Trevor.”

 

I tried not to eavesdrop on their conversation, so I took sips of my espresso until I heard footsteps walking my way. I looked up to see Carson and Victoria in front of me.

“Tori, this is Abel,” he introduced me to my surprise.

“Hello,” I stood up and shook her hand with my best smile, trying to hold back my negative feelings that I shouldn’t have been feeling in the first place.

“I’m Victoria,” she said, “but you can call me Tori.”

 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” I told her, but it really wasn’t. The reason why was because she cheated on Carson at least three times. I’ve seen her making out with guys at the pizza parlor where I used to work pretty often. I wanted to tell him, believe me, I did, but why would he want to find out from some random kid that no one knew?

 

“I should get going,” she said. “I’m supposed to be meeting my friends at the bookstore next door.”

“Oh, alright,” Carson shoved his hands in his hoodie pocket. “I’ll walk you out.” Without looking back at me, they both left the cafe. It felt like highschool all over again. I watched as they stood by the large window outside, and they hugged again. Victoria pulled away a little and gave him a kiss on the lips. It was like someone had shot me through the chest. 

 

Carson walked back in with a blank stare in his eyes, until he looked up from the floor and saw me staring at him. His eyes filled with worry.

“You saw that, didn’t you?” He nervously smiled.

“Uh, yeah,” I awkwardly said. 

“Nothing’s going on between us, I promise.”

“It’s okay,” I put on my best mask. “Why would I be worried about it?”

 

Carson paused for a second, and gave me a fake grin. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.” He sat back down and finished off his espresso before getting back up and asking me if I’m ready to leave when I obviously wasn’t, but I quickly downed my drink and left along with him.

 

A few days passed since their kiss, and Carson played it off as though nothing had happened. It probably didn’t mean as much to him as it did for me, but there’s no way I could tell him that. One morning, Rose called in sick, so she couldn’t read to the children today. The kids would all come in everyday at three o’clock after school, and Rose would read to them. However, today, she had texted me and asked Carson and I to do it for her. 

 

I was used to doing it when she wasn’t able to, whether it was a sore throat or a sick day. But for some odd reason, she wanted Carson to do it too. I wasn’t sure how well he was with kids, but today was the day I was going to find out. During our lunch break, we didn’t go to the cafe. Instead, we picked out a bunch of books that the kids might want to have us read.

 

We decided on  _ Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  _ It was one of my favorites. As we were picking out what book to read, Penelope watched us from the front counter, and when I looked up at her, she winked at me. It made me realize how close I was sitting next to Carson. I scooted over.

“Something wrong?” He asked.

“N-No,” I stuttered. 

“Oh, okay,” he started stacking the books together. “We’ve got some time left of our lunch break. You wanna go out for coffee after I put these away?” 

“Sure thing.” 

 

We went to the cafe for a short moment, came back to work, and then a little after three o’clock, the kids came, excited that I was the one to read to them. It’s been a while since I last did it.

“The twins really missed you, Abel,” one of the mothers approached me. “They really wanted to see you, but you were always working.”

“Sorry about that,” I chuckled. “I hope they enjoy my new partner as well.”

“I’ve seen you around,” she turned to Carson, “but I never learned your name.”

 

“I’m Carson,” he gently shook her hand. “I really look forward to reading to them. I love kids.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she smiled wide. “I’ll leave it to you then.”

“You can count on us.”

 

After we were done reading to the kids, one of the girls came up to me. It was Emily, one the youngest ones. She was four and really friendly, especially with her five year old sister around. 

“Abel!” She shouted my name. “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” I crouched down next to her.

“Emma likes you,” she loudly whispered in my ear, loud enough for Carson to hear. He laughed.

“Sorry, but Abel is mine,” Carson joked.

 

“Not fair!” Emma shouted. “I want Abel!” Her eyes watered up and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Oh, no!” Carson hurried over to her. “Don’t cry! Look, we can share, alright?” He picked her up and gave her his best grin. 

“Really?” She sniffled, wiping her face that was wet with tears. 

“Yeah,” he walked over to us, still holding her. “Right, Abel? He’ll even give you a kiss.”

I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she giggled.

 

“Hey,” Carson playfully frowned. “I want one, too.” I knew he was joking. I knew he was, but I couldn’t help myself from giving him a peck on the cheek, and his cheeks turned red. All the kids laughed.

“You’re blushing!” Emma exclaimed. The mothers covered their mouths and giggled to one another, talking about how good of a couple we would make. 

 

After the kids packed their toys and went to go check out books with their parents, two dads came over to us. They were parents of Jonathan. 

“You two are such a cute couple,” one of them said. “I know you’re still young, but you should think about adopting. You’re both really good with kids.”   
“Oh, we’re not a couple,” I told him politely.

“I told you,” the other father said. 

“Well can you blame me for thinking that way?”

 

“I’m glad you think we’re good with kids,” Carson said. “I’d like to have my own children someday.” I looked at him through the corner of my eye, wondering who he would have kids with. I hoped it wasn’t Victoria. 

 

After work was over, I hung up my lanyard on the small hook next to Carson’s. I walked out to the front desk, said goodbye to Penelope, and left the library. I ended up walking home instead of taking the bus. I needed some fresh air anyway. My heart needed it too, because it felt like it was going to explode because of Carson’s reaction to me kissing him. 

 

Carson’s bisexual. Carson’s bisexual.  _ Carson is bisexual _ . The words continuously played in my mind, meaning that I had a chance. I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. But I want something more than a friendship. I want to kiss him, hold his hand, touch him. 

 

I was at home that night staring up at my ceiling. Blue was laying next to me, keeping my side warm. 

“Hey, Blue?” I started talking to her. “Do you think Carson has any feelings for me?” 

She meowed.

“Yeah, I don’t think so either,” I laughed. “But what about what Penelope said that one time? And why did he blush when I kissed him?”

Once again, all I got was a meow.

“That’s true. Anyone would blush if you randomly kiss them...I think?”

 

Just then, my phone buzzed. I grabbed it off of my dresser to see that it was a message from Penelope.

“ _ Wanna hang out tomorrow _ ?” It read. I had almost forgotten tomorrow was my off day. It was a Saturday.

“ _ Sure _ .” I replied.

“ _ Cool. Then let’s meet at Eastwood park at twelve. _ ”

“ _ OK. See you then. _ ” I typed before locking my phone and setting it down on the dresser. I turned on my side and fell asleep, looking forward to our hangout. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Abel**

 

I sat on the park bench by Eastwood high school, waiting for Penelope to get here. I wasn’t sure what high school Penelope went to. She’s a bit older than me by a few years, so I’ve never really known. I kicked my feet up and looked at my Converse. 

“Hey there, friend,” I heard Penelope’s voice say. I looked up to see the blonde.

“Hey,” I smiled up at her, and then stood up. “What’d you want to do?”

 

“I was just hoping we could walk around, and you know, talk,” she said, and I knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. “Let’s talk about Carson.”

“Let’s not,” I said. “Let’s talk about something else.”   
“Haven’t you done it yet?”   
“What?” I nearly choked. “We’re not even dating to be doing anything of the sort!”   
“I meant haven’t you asked him out?” 

“Oh, no, I haven’t,” I gathered myself.

 

“Why not?” She furrowed her brows together. “You know he likes you, right?” When she said this, I let out a sigh. 

“I talked it over with Blue,” I began, “and we both agreed that he doesn’t.”

“Abel, she’s a cat.”

“She’s wise.”

“You need to stop being so insecure!”

“I know, I know,” my voice shook. “But still, I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

 

After our walk, we went to lunch and Penelope lent me a book that she had bought from Barnes and Noble. It was  _ Geography Club _ , one of my favorite LGBT books. No matter where we go, we always bring work with us. 

 

Our hang out was eventually over, but it was nice while it had lasted. I went home that evening with left overs from lunch. I really enjoyed going places other than the library and my apartment. Before I knew it, the sun went down and the full moon was visible, but just barely, for the clouds shrouded it’s beauty. 

 

I was reading  _ Geography Club _ when all of the sudden my phone started ringing. I jolted in surprise when the ringer went off, and picked up my phone to see it was Carson. I answered it after letting it ring one more time.

“Hello?” I spoke.

“Hey, Abel,” he sounded rather uncomfortable. “You mind coming over? I kind of watched a scary movie by myself, and…” he drifted off.

“Your roommates left, didn’t they?” I tried to hold back my smile.

“...yeah.”

“Alright. I’ll come over.”

 

“Great,” I could hear the relief in his voice. “I’ll come pick you up. Be sure to pack a bag, alright?”

“It’s okay,” I said, “I’ll just walk. I’d hate to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble.”

“Please, I’d like to walk anyway. I like taking nighttime strolls.”

Carson paused for a moment before saying, “Alright. Just be careful, please.”

“Sure thing,” I said before telling him goodbye and hanging up. 

 

I packed my pajama pants, a T-shirt, a hoodie, a pair of jeans, a toothbrush, and my phone charger. I put my phone in my pocket and left my apartment. As I was walking, I felt a droplet of rain fall on my head. I looked up to see that it had started sprinkling. If I hurried, then I would get there before it got worse. However, it had already started to poor. I regretted walking. I pulled out my phone to call Carson, but it was dead. 

 

**Carson**

 

I was sitting on my couch with a blanket around me when I suddenly jumped at the sound of the doorbell. I quickly recovered from the mini heart attack when I realized that it must have been Abel. I straightened myself out and did a breath check before unlocking the door and opening it. There stood he stood soaked and shivering.

“Abel,” I spoke his name. “What the hell happened to you?”  

 

Despite the shaking, Abel smiled and his eyes showed me that he didn’t want me to worry about it, but of course I was going to worry.

“Hurry and get inside,” I lightly grabbed his shoulder and led him inside.

“Thank you,” his voice shook.

“You can go ahead and put your bag down by the couch,” I told him. “Take a shower, too. I don’t want you getting sick.”

 

“Um, I didn’t bring any underwear,” Abel shyly said. I ran my fingers through my hair letting out a sigh.

“Don’t worry about it,” I exhaled. “I’ll let you borrow a pair of my boxers.”

“What?” His cheeks suddenly turned pink. “Oh, okay.”

 

I showed him to the bathroom and let him have his private time. I sat back on the couch, leaning back with a deep breath out. I tried not to recall that dream I had about us in the shower. I tried hard, and miserably failed. 

 

At that moment, I heard a loud shout, and I immediately got up and rushed to the bathroom. I knocked on the door.   
“Abel?” I called his name.

“Carson!” He yelled back. “Help me!”

 

I opened the door as quickly as I could and saw Abel standing on the toilet completely naked. I was left speechless. 

“Don’t just stare at me!” He screeched. “Kill it!” He pointed at a spider that was on the floor, and I nearly smacked myself in the face. I walked over to it and squished it with my thumb. 

 

“Thank you,” Abel breathed out, and when he realized that he was naked right in front of me, his cheeks burned scarlet red. “I’m sorry.”

“I, uh,” I looked away from him scratching at the back of my neck. “I’m the one that’s sorry.” I walked out of the bathroom and closed the door slowly, and then pressed my back against it and slid down on my ass. 

 

I had to get up sooner or later, so I stood on my feet and walked into the living room, and then sat down on the couch. I leaned over, hid my face in my palms, and then made muffled noises. I felt my face and ears heat up. To keep my mind from playing many images of a naked Abel, I grabbed a bunch of blankets from the hallway closet and made two beds on the living room floor, then pulled out some movies to watch. 

 

About thirty minutes passed, and Abel came out wearing plaid pajama pants and an oversized sweater. I saw two beautiful sights tonight. 

“Hey,” he said, seeming embarrassed.

“Hey,” I awkwardly replied, scooting over for him to sit on the floor with me. He sat in the empty spot next to me. 

“So, what are we going to do?” He asked.

“I was thinking we’d watch a movie. Your choice.”

 

“It’s not a scary movie this time, is it?” Abel quirked a brow with a grin on his face. It was cute.

“No,” I chuckled. “Hell no. I’ve only got comedies this time.”

“Good,” he smiled to himself in satisfaction, and then looked over the movies that I had spread out. His eyes suddenly lit up. “Shrek Two!” He exclaimed. 

“You like Shrek?”   
“It’s my favorite,” he perked up, and seeing him so happy made me feel warm inside.

 

“Then we’ll watch it,” I picked up the case, walked over to the CD player, and put in the movie. I sat back down turning on the TV, and the movie started. When the beginning played, I could hear Abel humming the song that played. It was Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows. It reminded me of my situation.

 

We laughed at many parts of the movie. We had our “aww” moments, too. My favorite part, however, was seeing Abel so happy. I loved it. When the movie was over, we watched another one until we both fell asleep. I ended up falling asleep first.

 

I was dreaming. I was dreaming about mom and dad. They had found out about me being bisexual, and they took it pretty well. In fact, they said that they had already predicted it. Then, all of the sudden, my mother had started crying. It was a loud cry, and a real one at that. I woke up to hear that same crying, but it was coming from Abel.

 

I shot my eyes open and turned my head to see that Abel was crying and hyperventilating. He was having a panic attack.

“Abel, what happened?” I sat up alongside him and put a hand on his shaking shoulder. 

“I h-had a dream about my d-dad,” he stammered.

“Come here,” I softly said, and then pulled him into a hug. Abel squeezed me tightly in his trembling arms as I held him close to me, telling him that everything was going to be alright.

Eventually, he calmed down and steadied his breathing, but I didn’t dare let go of him. His grip on my shirt got looser on me, and I knew he was starting to get tired.

“You wanna go to sleep?” I asked him.

“Yeah,” he responded with a hoarse voice. 

“Do you want to sleep with me?”

“Mm,” he hummed, nodding his head. 

 

We both laid down, and he scooted over to me, his head nuzzling under my neck. It was like sleeping with a puppy. I threw my arm around him and drew him closer.

“I can hear your heart beating,” Abel slowly said. 

“Sorry,” I awkwardly apologized, just realizing how harshly my heart was pounding in my chest.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” I responded, and with that, we both fell sound asleep.

  
  



	11. Chapter 11

**Abel**

 

It was morning time, and my throat and eyes felt painfully dry. I slowly opened my eyes to see that Carson was no longer there. I pursed my lips, thinking about how embarrassing it was having him see me like that, but the end result was worth it.

 

I slowly sat up and rubbed my face. I then smacked my hands down and looked towards the kitchen where I saw Carson standing by the coffee pot. He turned around, and when he caught sight of me, he smiled. 

“Good morning,” he greeted walking over to me with two mugs of coffee.

“Good morning,” I looked up at him as he handed me a cup. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” he sat next to me.

 

“Also, thank you very much for last night,” I felt my cheeks heat up. “I really needed that.”

“It’s no problem,” Carson said sheepishly. “It was my pleasure.”

“Was it, now?” I laughed.

“Yeah,” he gave me a grin. 

“Hey, Carson?” I was finally going to ask.

“Yeah?” His grin slowly started fading away.

“Do you like me?” 

“Of course I do.”   
“No, do you, you know,  _ like _ me?”

 

Carson stared at me with a blank expression. I couldn’t tell what was going on through his mind, and before he could answer, the front door opened with a slam. We both shot our heads to the door and saw Trevor, Asher, and Ben walk in, all of them laughing. When they caught sight of us, they stopped.

“What happened here?” Asher asked.

“A gay sleepover?” Trevor joked. 

 

“You know it,” Carson said before taking a sip of his coffee. I looked at him in shock, wondering if he were serious or not.

“Have fun you two,” Ben winked as they all went upstairs. 

“You wanna go out for breakfast?” Carson turned his head to look at me.

“I can’t,” I looked down. “I didn’t bring my wallet.”

 

“Let me pay for it,” he said, getting up and picking up the pillows. I followed suit. “I want to answer your question.”

“Oh, okay,” I said, and for a moment, I thought, what question? Then I remembered what I had asked him before the guys walked in. Now, I was nervous. 

 

After cleaning up in the living room, we went out to a waffle shop where we ate pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon. It looked like a delicious meal, but I was too nervous to eat. I picked at my food, waiting for Carson say something. When he finally did, I jumped a little.

 

“So about that question,” he pushed his sausage with his fork. “Do you want my honest answer?”

“Yes,” I nodded, swallowing hard. 

“Well, the answer is yes,” he said quickly. “I do like you, Abel.” When he said this, my heart took a huge leap. Carson Jones had a crush on me. He returned me feelings! “But,” he began, “I’m trying to get over you.”

 

“What?” My shoulders dropped in disappointment and hurt. “Why? W-Was it something I did?” I almost freaked out a little too much.

“What? No, it’s not you,” he said. “It’s me. Actually, it’s Victoria.”

“Victoria…” I sighed.

“Why do you seem so...disappointed?” Carson asked. “It’s not like you like me or anything.”

“Right,” I forced up a laugh. There was no way I was going to tell him how I feel when he was trying to get over me. “So what about Victoria?”

 

“You saw when she kissed me, right?” He stabbed his sausage. “She wants to get back together. And I kind of want that, you know?”

“You don’t want me…?”

“No! Of course I want you!” He shouted loudly, getting attention from people that sat near us. “It’s just...I can’t be with you. We’re both guys.”

“And…?” I was starting to feel hurt.

“Abel, no, that’s not what I meant.”   
“I’m sorry that being gay is such an embarrassment,” my voice cracked as I stood up and left the restaurant. I felt my heart breaking with each step that I took.

 

**Carson**

 

Abel up and left the waffle shop with tears in his eyes, leaving me feeling dead inside. I slammed my elbows on the table and ran my fingers through my hair in distress. I find myself doing that a lot.

“You blew it, buddy,” a teenage girl said from another table.

“I know, alright?” I groaned. I figured Abel wanted to be alone, but at the same time, I didn’t want to leave him crying like that. I felt like complete shit.

 

At work the next day, I greeted Penelope, but she only looked away from me. I was guessing Abel had told her what happened. I sighed and went to grab my lanyard, and noticed that Abel’s was still hanging up. Usually, he’d be here before me. I went back to the counter.

“Is Abel not here?” I asked.

“Taking the day off,” she refused to make eye contact with me. 

“It’s not because of me, is it…?”   
“Nope,” she finally lifted her gaze. “He’s stronger than that. He’s just sick.”

 

“Oh,” I simply said, and then continued on with my day. I was honestly worried about him. Not only did I insult him, but he got sick, too. I really owed him an apology. I owed him a  _ huge _ apology. So, I decided to give him one.

 

After work was over, I made a stop at the store and went to Abel’s apartment. I went up to the buzzer and asked if he was there. I also told him that it was me, Carson.

“Carson?” His voice came back.

“Yeah, can I come up?” 

“...sure,” he finally said after a long pause. At least he didn’t sound mad. 

 

I went upstairs to his apartment and knocked on his door. A second after, it opened and there stood Abel in an oversized hoodie, sweats, and his blue fuzzy socks. I fixed the strap on my messenger bag and put on a smile.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” he returned the greeting, and he really did sound sick.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” he stepped aside for me to enter.

 

When I walked in, he asked me what I was doing here. “I heard that you’re sick, so I thought I’d come by and make sure you’re okay.”   
“Oh.”

“And I brought you a surprise,” I said pulling out a can and a CD case without the cover.

“A movie and...soup?” Abel tilted his head cutely. 

“Not just any movie,” I opened the case to reveal the CD. “It’s Shrek! The first one!” I handed it to him along with the can of soup.

 

“Thank you,” he said without his usual smile. I could tell that he had something to say. So, I decided to apologize, but we both did it at the same time.

“What?” I was genuinely confused. “Why are you sorry?”

“I totally over reacted that day, and I’m really sorry,” he said.

“No, no. Don’t apologize at all, I was in the wrong,” I took a step closer to him, “and I realize that.”

“Well,” Abel brushed his bangs with his slender fingers. “Apology accepted, then.”

 

“Thank you,” I breathed out with a grin growing from ear to ear. “I should probably get going.” I turned to walk away.   
“Wait,” Abel stopped me, grabbing my sleeve. “Do you think you can stay here with me?”

“You want me to?” I turned my head around and he nodded. “Alright then.”

  
We sat on his couch as he ate the soup and I had one the cookies he baked from scratch. It was delicious, and way better than the ones at Charlie’s Cafe. We shared a blanket, too. It was much warmer that way. Half way through the movie, Abel had rested his head on my shoulder, so I put an arm around him and kissed his forehead. He was warm. We both ended up falling asleep that way.


	12. Chapter 12

**Abel**

 

The next morning, Carson had went home early because he didn’t bring a change of clothes. Before he left, he had put me back in my bed and left a note saying that he went home and that he hoped I got well soon. It made me smile, and remembering that he kissed my forehead made me blush. Why did he do that?

 

I eventually got better and started going back to work. I had told Penelope that Carson and I made up so that she wouldn’t be mad at him anymore. When I first told her what happened, she was enraged. I was hoping that she wouldn’t go off on Carson while I was away. 

 

“So you’re all good now?” Penelope asked, propped on her elbow. I nodded taking a sip of my coffee. 

“Yeah, we’re good,” I smiled to myself, recalling what happened that night. 

“What’s with that grin?” She questioned me.

“Nothing,” I laughed.

“I know that look, Abel.”

“Okay, well, he kissed me.”

 

“He did what?!” She shouted loudly, gaining attention from people in the library. I immediately shushed her.

“On the forehead,” I whispered.

“Aww, how sweet,” she whispered back. “But if he ever hurts you again, I’m kicking his ass.”   
“Alright,” I exhaled through my nose. 

 

Just then, the door opened and in walked Carson taking off his bini and shoving it in his messenger bag. As he started to take off his fingerless gloves, his eyes met mine, so I beamed and waved. He returned a small smile. He then walked past me to grab his lanyard and started work.

“Guess I should start, too,” I told Penelope. “I’ll talk to you later.”

 

Work began, and as I put the books back where they belong, I felt someone’s eyes on me. I turned my head around to see a very attractive guy sitting at one of the tables with his laptop. When he noticed that I saw him staring at me, his tan cheeks turned pink and his brown eyes went wide. I smiled at him, and he just looked away. 

 

When lunch hour came, I tried looking for Carson, but instead, I accidentally bumped into the guy that was watching me earlier. 

“I’m sorry,” I apologized looking up at him. He was really tall, even taller than Carson.

“Oh, it’s okay,” his voice was calm and soothing. “I’m Mason.”

“I’m Abel,” I introduced myself. 

 

“Are you on break right now?” Mason asked me, scratching at the back of his neck like Carson does.

“Yeah, I am,” I nodded.

“Do you maybe want to go out to lunch with me?” 

“Oh, I can’t,” I said without thinking. I was just so excited to go with Carson. “I’m going out to coffee with one of my friends.”

 

“You ready, babe?” I heard Carson come up from behind me, putting his arm around my shoulders. Before I could ask why he called me “babe”, he then said, “Mason? Is that you?” But he didn’t sound surprised at all. 

“Hey, Carson,” Mason didn’t sound very pleased to see him. “You know Abel?”

“Yeah, he’s my boyfriend,” Carson said, making my heart pound, but confusing me at the same time. 

“You’re...gay?”

“Bisexual, actually.”

 

I was in shock. Carson tried so hard not to let anyone find out, but he just openly said it to one of his old friends. Mason seemed like a nice guy, but I didn’t want to risk anything. I playfully slapped Carson’s chest.

“Quit joking around,” I laughed, and then turned to Mason. “He’s just joking.”

“Oh, I kind of thought so,” Mason smiled, showing off his dimple. “So it’s okay if I take Abel out?”

 

“Why don’t you come with us?” I asked Mason, and looked at Carson to see his reaction. He seemed bothered. 

“Really?” They both said at the same time. 

“Really,” I responded. And that’s exactly what we did.

 

It was an awkward silence on our way to Charlie’s Cafe, and when we got inside, it was still quiet. Mason payed for all of our drinks. 

“So,” I spoke as we sat down to wait for our drinks. “Do you two know each other?”  

“Sort of,” Carson said. “We had a few classes together at Eastwood. I didn’t know you two knew each other though?”

“Me neither,” I said honestly. I didn’t remember Mason at all.

 

“Abel and I didn’t really have any classes together, but I did see him around, and honestly, I kind of thought he was cute,” Mason admitted. It made heat rise to my cheeks and ears. 

“I’m flattered,” I laughed a little. 

“I saw you walk into the library and thought I’d try to talk to you.”   
“Stalker, much?” Carson muttered under his breath. I nudged him with my elbow, but Mason didn’t seem to notice. 

 

“Anyway, how have you been?” He asked, folding his arms onto the table and leaning a little closer. 

“I’ve been great,” I told him, and I really was. There has been some bumps in the road, but Carson was there to make it all better. My life was good before, but ever since he came along, things have been great. He made me feel...alive.

 

“That’s good,” Mason smiled, looking down. He was just as attractive as Carson. I accidentally let it slip.

“You’ve got a nice smile,” I said, and Carson shot his eyes at me. 

“You think so?” Mason rubbed the side of his neck. 

“Yeah,” I beamed. 

“I think you’ve got a  great smile, too.”

 

Just then, our drinks came, and Carson picked up his plastic cup and stood. “I’ll leave you two love birds at it.”

“Love birds?” I repeated his words in a question. 

“Wow,” Mason scoffed. “I never thought I’d see this.”   
“What?” I turned to look at Mason who ignored me and took a sip of his drink.

“I’ll see you at work, Abel,” Carson said before walking out of the cafe.

 

I watched him leave, and then looked at Mason. “What was that about?” I asked. He only smiled and called me clueless. 

“Go after him,” he then said. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah.”   
“Alright...thank you for the drinks,” I said, and then left.

 

I ran out of the cafe and rushed to Carson who was a little further away from me. I called his name, but he didn’t turn around, so I quickened my pace and hugged him from behind. Carson fell forward a little, but quickly regained posture. 

 

“What are you doing?” Carson tried turning around, but I held onto him tighter. “Abel, what’s wrong? Did he do something?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I just wanted to be with you.” I looked up at him to see him blush. He rubbed his earlobe with his index finger and thumb. 

“Okay, well, I was just going to go to the restaurant,” he said before pausing for a moment. “Do you want to come with me?”

“You betcha!” I grinned wide, causing him to smile and laugh a little. I was glad to see him happy.


	13. Chapter 13

**Carson**

 

I thumbed through the pages of an old book I had. The cover was yellow and the spine was broken. It was something about a boy being framed? I don’t know. Just then, I got a message from Abel.

“ _ Are you awake? _ ” He typed perfectly instead of using just letters.

“ _ Yeah. What’s up? _ ” I responded. A bubble came up signaling that he was typing.

“ _ I’m having a poetry slam tomorrow night. I was wondering if you’d like to come? _ ”

 

I was a little shocked. I didn’t know Abel does poetry. After all the time we’ve known each other, he’s never spoke about it. Or maybe he did, and I just wasn’t listening? I thought about it. I didn’t have any work tomorrow, and I kind of did want to go out somewhere, so I responded.

“ _ I’ll go. _ ”

“ _ Great!! _ ” He used two exclamation points to express his excitement. After that, he sent me the address to where it was at. I found myself just as excited as he was.

 

The next night, I wore my favorite blue hoodie and my beanie. I didn’t bring my messenger bag, because I didn’t think I’d need it. I sometimes get tired of taking it everywhere with me. I sat all the way in the back, since all of the seats up front were taken. 

 

Abel was the first to go up. He walked up the stage, and when he caught sight of me, he smiled shyly. I couldn’t help but grin like a fool. He sat on the stool and grabbed ahold of the mic. Without pulling out note cards or a book, he started. Immediately I was intrigued. I was mostly surprised at how dark it was, but enjoyed how smoothly it flowed, especially from his lips and voice. 

 

When he was done, I clapped loudly while everyone else snapped their fingers. They all turned to look at me, and it was pretty obvious I don’t go to these sorts of things. I felt my ears go hot as I slowly stopped clapping. I looked at Abel who tried holding back his laughter. That was even more embarrassing, but he had a sweet expression, so at the same time, it was a little calming.

 

“How did I do?” Abel asked me as I drove us back to his apartment. His eyes were shining bright, and I could tell he was proud of himself. It made me happy. 

“You were great,” I chuckled. “Really, you were.”

“Thank you,” he said sheepishly and relieved. 

I hummed. 

 

When we got to his place, I walked him to the front door. Upstairs, I was wondering if this is what it would feel like if Abel and I ever go on a date and I walk him home. We stood in front of his door.

“Is this when we kiss?” I asked jokingly. 

Then, Abel stood on his tiptoes and kissed me on the lips.

“Goodnight,” he nodded his head before rushing into his apartment. 

I lifted my hands to my face and crouched down. It was the most awkward but cutest kiss I have ever experienced. 

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Abel**

 

One day during our lunch break, Carson and I sat in the family restaurant a little way from the library. 

“I need your help,” he said, poking at his sausage with his fork. His motions reminded me of the time he had upset me. It worried me that something bad was going to happen.

“What is it?” I asked nervously. 

“I have photography as one of my classes,” he stabbed his sausage, “and I need a model in the sunset.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling relieved. “Wait, how can I help?”

 

“You can be my model,” Carson took a bite. “I can’t ask any of my roommates to do me this favor. You’re the only one I can really ask.” 

_ What about Victoria? _ I wanted to ask, but I kept my mouth shut. 

“Okay,” I smiled at him. 

“Great,” he grinned to himself, staring down at his pancakes. Boy, was he handsome. I’ve always thought that, but now that we’re closer, I got to admire it a little more. I never would have thought that Carson Jones and I would ever be friends. 

 

After work, we went to my apartment. When we walked in, Carson looked around, searching for something. I knew exactly what that something was. 

“There you are, Blue!” He picked her up and she snuggled herself against him. Like before, I was jealous of my own cat. 

 

“She really missed you,” I said. He kissed her head before setting her back down on the floor, but she wanted more, so she rubbed herself against his legs. I knew how she felt. 

“So when and where do you want to do this?” I asked him.

“Whenever the sun sets,” he shrugged, “and we can do it at the beach.”

“Alright,” I nodded my head and smiled. 

 

I used to love the beach.  _ Used _ to. When I was younger, I almost drowned in the ocean. I remember how the waves kept crashing onto me and pulling me back into the sea. Sometimes I still get nightmares about it. I haven’t gone to the beach since then, but I’d do it for Carson.

 

After I gave food and water to Blue, we drove out to the beach. On our way there, I wrung my hands together, my palms starting to sweat. Memories of that moment started flowing back to me. 

“Is something wrong, Abel?” Carson asked.

I looked at him. Seeing his face and hearing him say my name made me calm down.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Oh, alright.”

 

When we got there, I slowly got out the car, looking out at the beach.  _ You can do this, Abel,  _ I mentally told myself. 

“You ready?” Carson smiled.

“Yeah,” I returned a grin, and we headed to the water.

 

I rolled up my jeans, took off my shoes and socks, and wiggled my toes in the sand. I sort of missed this feeling. I walked out to the sea and stepped into the water. I stood there. My heart was pounding painfully.

“Carson,” my voice wavered. “Can you hurry and take the picture?” 

There was no response.

“Carson?” I repeated. Just as I was about to turn around, I felt hands push my back, and I fell forward. It was like everything was going in slow motion. 

 

I remember falling into the water. I remember splashing around, feeling the cold waves crash onto me. I swallowed a lot of the ocean’s salty water, but I somehow managed to choke out a cry for help. Then, I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me up. I was weak in the knees, so I grabbed onto the thing nearest to me. It was Carson’s shirt.

 

I was panting and gasping for air as Carson continuously apologized to me. I only cried. When I got feeling back in my legs, I let go of his shirt and wiped my tears away from my wet face.

“Abel, I’m so sorry,” he hugged me. 

“It’s okay,” I shakily said. I then realized I was trembling. 

 

We ended up sitting down on the sand waiting for my clothes to dry, and I sneezed.

“Are you cold?” Carson asked. 

“A little,” I hugged my knees closer to my chest.

Just then, Carson took his shirt off and gave it to me. I stared blankly at his abs.

“Abel?” 

“Oh, sorry,” I apologized and took his shirt. I took off my shirt and Carson looked away as I changed. 

 

I tried hard not to stare at a shirtless Carson. My mind was blank. Then, he spoke up. 

“If you were afraid of the ocean, why did you agree to come to the beach with me?” He asked. “You could have told me.”   
“I just thought it was pretty embarrassing,” I shrugged, looking down at the sand that buried my toes. 

“I don’t think it is,” he said.

 

“Thanks,” I simply said, and then stretched my legs out and looked up at the starry night sky. 

“It’s beautiful,” Carson says softly. Suddenly, I feel fingertips touch my hand. Instead of snatching my hand away, I look at Carson who is still gazing up at the stars. I watch him as I hold his hand, and he looks back at me.

 

I squeeze his hand, and he squeezes mine back. Carson then leans in, and knowing what was going to happen next, I do the same. I shut my eyes closed and felt his soft lips press gently on mine. I wasn’t even worried if my lips were cold or if they were chapped, because I knew that Carson didn’t care either. 

 

I felt sparks light up from my lips to my chest then throughout my whole body. My heart was tingling, and so were my lips when Carson pulled away. I fluttered my eyes open to see him gazing at me. Suddenly, his eyes went wide and he jumped back.

 

“Oh, god,” he groans in distress. “I’m such a moron. I’m so sorry, Abel. I didn’t mean to do that.”

“You didn’t?” I asked, letting the sadness show through my tone. 

“I did,” he blurted. “But I mean, did you want that?”   
“Carson,” I knitted my brows together. “If I didn’t want that, I wouldn’t have leaned in and closed my eyes.”

“Right, sorry,” he apologized, his cheeks red. He was a mess and I loved it. 

 

I unintentionally smiled and let out a chuckle which turned into a fit of laughter. Carson seemed confused.

“What’s so funny?” He asked. 

“You’re flustered, and it’s adorable.”

“Don’t make me kiss you again,” he made a stern face. 

“Is that a threat?” I giggled. 

 

Carson then grabbed my arm and pulled me so that we both fell down with me on top of him. He gave me a peck, then another, and then another. My heart couldn’t handle this. Just then, I felt his hand make its way up my shirt.

“Wait,” I pulled away from one of his many kisses. “Not here.”

“So we can?” He asked with a surprised expression.

 

I slowly nodded looking away from him. We both sat up and Carson looked at me with a serious face. 

“Abel,” he spoke my name. “Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I want to,” I responded. 

“...alright,” he said after a pause, and we got into his car.

  
  



	15. Chapter 15

**Carson**

 

Morning came. I awoke to the feeling of bare skin touching mine, and it didn’t take me long to remember what happened last night. The way Abel’s pale body looked, how smooth his skin was, the sound of him moaning my name. I opened my eyes to look down at him with his head under my neck. I wrapped my arm around him and kissed his forehead.

 

Abel squinted his shut eyes and slowly opened them. His bright blue eyes looked up at me, and he smiled sweetly. When he tried to move, he stopped and made a small noise in pain.

“Take it easy,” I told him. “I’ll bring you something for your body aches.”

“Thank you,” he laid on his back which caused the sheets to move from his crotch. My face went hot and I covered his body back up.

 

“Carson,” he giggled. “You’ve already seen every part of me. It’s okay. Don’t be shy.”

“I’m not shy,” I denied it. If I saw it, I’d probably want to do it again. I didn’t tell him that, though. I didn’t want to seem like a horn-dog.

 

I put on my boxers and went into the bathroom and got out a small pill for Abel. I felt bad because he seemed to be in a lot of pain last night, but fortunately, it didn’t last long. He was great. I came back into the bedroom with a glass of water and saw that Abel was laying there waiting for me. He slowly sat up when he saw me walk in.

 

I handed him the pill and the water before sitting beside him and kissing his forehead. Just then, we heard the front door open, and my heart dropped.

“I thought they were gone for a few days?” Abel said in a hushed voice.

“I thought so too,” I whispered back before rushing to my dresser and pulling out a pair of pajama pants and slipping them on. “Hurry and get dressed.”

 

I closed the door behind me and walked down stairs as casually as possible. They all were laughing and talking to one another until they saw me.

“What, you’re not at your boyfriend’s house?” Ben joked.

“Very funny,” I sarcastically said with fake laughter. “What are you all back so early?”  


“We said we’d come back today,” Asher quirked a brow. “Didn’t you get our message?”

“Oh,” I rubbed the back of my neck. “No. Also, can you guys be a little more quieter? Abel spent the night and he’s upstairs sleeping.” I turned around, and right when I started walking, they spoke up.

“Dude, what happened to your back?” Trevor asked.

 

I reached my arm over and touched my back and felt a small but sharp sting. I then remembered how surprisingly aggressive Abel was last night.

“I don’t know, man,” I lied and continued to make my way upstairs. The silence among them worried me.

 

When I reached my bedroom, I opened the door and saw Abel putting his shirt back on.

“What happened?” He asked.

“I took care of it, kind of,” I said. “But they noticed the scratches on my back.”

Abel turned red.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” I told him. “You should pretend you just woke up though. I told them you were sleeping.”

“Oh, okay,” he nodded. “And Carson?”

“Yeah?”  
Abel walked over to me, stood on tiptoes, and gave me a small peck on the lips. “I love you.”

I couldn’t handle it anymore. I snaked my arm around his waist, pulled him in, and kissed him.

 

Abel tried pulling away from me, but I only held him closer to me and deepened the kiss. Suddenly, I heard a cough. I immediately let go of Abel and looked towards the door where I saw Trevor, Ben, and Asher stand with blank looks on their faces. My heart sank.

  


We ended up in the living room where Abel and I sat on the couch and the guys stood before us. I couldn’t tell what was going on through their minds. Were they waiting for us to speak up first?

“Um,” Abel began. “Carson and I were just pulling a prank.”

“Abel, you don’t have to lie,” Asher looked at him with a sincere look in his eyes.

 

Abel looked down at his hands, pursing his lips. I wanted to hold his hand, but I figured that would be inappropriate considering the situation we were in.

“So,” I started,”I guess this is how I’m coming out.” I then sighed. “I’m bisexual, and I’m in love with Abel.”

Neither of them said anything.

“And if you don’t like it, then you can kick me out. I’d understand.”

 

“Dude, we already knew,” Ben said. “We can tell by the way you look when you talk about Abel. You made it really obvious.”

“Yeah,” Asher nodded folding his arms.

“We’re not gonna kick you out,” Trevor added in. “We were just waiting for you to tell us. I’m a little disappointed that you didn’t.”

 

“I can’t really say I was planning on it,” I said honestly. “I was really afraid of what you’d say, and I didn’t want you to hate Abel.”

“Hate Abel for what?”  
“For stealing my heart.”

Ben grunted. “Cheesy.”

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but,” I looked down and my feet, “now you know.” I said with a shrug.

“Look, I think I speak for everyone when I saw we’re more than fine with it,” Trevor said. “We’re happy that you found love. But if you’re going to do it, do it while we’re gone or do it at Abel’s place.”

 

I looked to see Abel’s reaction, and his cheeks were red with a smile on his face. I could tell he was happy.

“Thank you,” he choked out.

I felt a grin tug at the corners of my mouth.

“Now that that’s over with,” Trevor stretched. “Who’s up for breakfast?”

 

**Abel**

 

We went out to breakfast with his roommates. We talked about Carson’s first crush on a boy, and he said that it was a guy he went to middle school with. Asher claimed he genuinely thought he’d be Carson’s first male crush in highschool. Then, they asked me how I found out I was gay.

 

“Well, back in first grade, I had a crush on this guy named Tyler,” I couldn’t help the smile that grew on my face. I actually enjoyed it when people asked me questions about my sexuality. Because I hid it for so long, it felt good to just let it go. “I kissed him, but he shoved me and said I was gross. My teacher told me not to do that because some guys don’t like to kiss other guys.”

 

“If I were there, I’d kick his ass,” Carson smirked and then took a sip of his raspberry tea.

“Carson was a little punk as a kid,” Trevor informed me. “He used to make fun of me all the time about my weight. Now look at me. I’ve got more muscle than he does!”

“Whatever,” he laughed.

 

I smiled listening to their conversations. After we were done, Carson said he wanted to take me somewhere.

“You guys can take the bus home, right?” He asked his roommates as we stood outside of the restaurant.

“I see what you’re doing,” Asher grinned slyly, nudging Carson with his elbow. Carson’s ears turned red.

“Shut up,” he said grabbing my hand and pulling me towards his car. “I’ll see you guys."  
Just where are we going?

 

In the car, we drove out to an unfamiliar place. Carson told me to close my eyes, so I figured we were close. When I felt the car stop, I tried opening my eyes.

“Nope,” Carson said. “Keep ‘em closed.”

I let out a sigh covering my eyes again, but I was still grinning with excitement. I heard a door shut, and then the door on my side opened. Carson unbuckled my seatbelt and led me out of the car.

 

“Okay, we’re going up a hill,” he told me, and I said that I trusted him as we continued to walk. I squeezed Carson’s hand and he squeezed back. Suddenly, he stopped.

“Can I open my eyes now?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said.

 

I removed my hand from my eyes and fluttered them open to see the city. I was speechless.

“Beautiful, ain’t it?” Carson said with a grin.

“Yeah,” I responded, still holding his hand.

Carson looked at me as I looked at him. We both smiled wide, and then kissed. This was it. This was most definitely my happily ever after.  



End file.
